• Milestone marks significant progress in the company's Strategic Underground Program
  
• Program reduces outages and restoration time by burying lines in most outage-prone areas
  
• Company reminds customers how to prepare for hurricane season

RICHMOND, Va., June 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Just ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season, Dominion Energy Virginia has finished burying 2,000 miles of previously-overhead power lines as part of its Strategic Underground Program. Launched in 2014 to reduce storm-related power outages and shorten restoration times, the program focuses on burying power lines in the most outage-prone areas. The company plans to bury several thousand additional miles of overhead lines as the program continues in the coming years.

"We launched this program a decade ago after finding that a significant number of storm-related power outages were occurring in a relatively small number of areas," said Ed Baine, President of Dominion Energy Virginia. "By burying the lines in these outage-prone areas, we're not only reducing the number of outages, but we're also shortening how long it takes to get the power back on."

The Strategic Underground Program is one of several programs that the company has launched in recent years to reduce power outages and make the grid more resilient. The company's Mainfeeder Hardening program, for example, is replacing older poles with taller, stronger ones that are rooted deeper in the ground and spaced closer together. The new poles are engineered and built with fiberglass cross-arms, which help prevent fallen trees or limbs from bringing down the entire pole. Since 2019, the company has hardened over 265 miles of power lines, with the ultimate goal of hardening 1,000 miles by 2030.

The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and runs through November 30. This season is expected to be active, so Dominion Energy is reminding customers how they can prepare:

• Know how to report a power outage and track your restoration time.
  The Dominion Energy mobile app is the easiest way. Customers may also use the Dominion Energy website or call 866-DOM-HELP.
  
  
• Stay away from downed power lines. 
  If you see a downed power line, please report it by calling 866-DOM-HELP and stay at least 30 feet away. The line could be energized and dangerous.
  
  
• Charge your devices before the storm. 
  Fully charge your phone, computer and other electronic devices before a storm arrives. Consider purchasing portable batteries to extend the life of your devices.
  
  
• Properly connect your generator. 
  If you have a generator, make sure it is fueled, tested, and properly connected before the storm arrives, and always operate it outdoors with good ventilation.
  
  
• Prepare food, water and emergency supplies.
  Before any storm, it's always good to have bottled water and non-perishable food on hand, as well as emergency supplies such as flashlights, batteries, first aid kits and medications.

For more hurricane preparedness tips, please visit www.dominionenergy.com/our-stories/hurricane-preparedness.

Photo and b-roll video of recent Strategic Underground Program work is available for download here: https://news.dominionenergy.com/reliability.

View the Spanish version of this press release.

About Dominion Energy

More than 4.5 million customers in 13 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to providing reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean energy that powers our customers every day and to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn more.

SOURCE Dominion Energy